● Founding Concept

Connecting cities to shape the future of urban life.

The Saudi Smart Cities Cooperative Society (SSCCS) is a proposed national platform that enables collaboration, capability development, innovation and knowledge sharing among the Kingdom's city leaders and smart-city researchers, academia and practitioners.

Version 1.0 — Discussion Draft
SAUDI SMART CITIES
COOPERATIVE SOCIETY
The opportunity

Saudi cities face similar challenges — but tackle them in isolation.

The Kingdom is witnessing rapid urban transformation and growing adoption of smart-city initiatives. Cities are investing heavily in digital transformation and smart infrastructure, but a structured platform is needed to facilitate collaboration and exchange of lessons learned. A cooperative reduces duplication of effort and accelerates learning across the ecosystem.

Our Vision

Shaping the cities of the future

To enable the advancement of Saudi Arabia's smart cities ecosystem by connecting city leaders, organizations, and ideas to unlock the full potential of every Saudi city.

Our Mission

Collaboration that builds capability

To enable collaboration among city leaders and smart-city practitioners, facilitate knowledge exchange, build institutional capabilities and promote innovation that accelerates the development of future-ready cities across the Kingdom.

Core values

What guides everything we do

Collaboration
Trust
Innovation
Knowledge Sharing
Impact
Sustainability
Strategic pillars

Seven pillars driving the Society's work

01

Knowledge & Thought Leadership

Equipping Saudi smart city leaders with the insights and direction they need to deliver the Kingdom's smart city agenda.

02

City Support & Problem Solving

Helping cities learn from one another and adopt proven solutions faster.

03

Global Exposure & Learning

Connecting city leaders with global experts and emerging innovations to sharpen their skills and broaden their vision.

04

Innovation Enablement

Connecting cities with the startup ecosystem to co-create solutions: from defining the challenge, to hackathon, to pilot, to scale.

05

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

Building alliances that grow and sustain the smart-city ecosystem.

06

Exposure & Promotion

A strategic priority to increase the exposure of Saudi smart city projects, at home and on the world stage.

07

Independent Measurement & Insights

Acting as an independent body that measures citizen adoption and satisfaction through yearly surveys.

Membership & activities

Built around the people who run cities

Who it's for

Primary membership is intended for:
  • Royal commissions
  • City mayor offices
  • Municipalities
  • City development authorities
  • Smart city departments

What members do together

We hold regular conversations to overcome each city's challenges and ideas — through an executive forum and an annual summit. Activities include:
  • Regular meetings
  • City visits
  • Working groups
  • A shared knowledge repository
  • Innovation showcases
  • Challenge-sharing workshops
Expected outcomes

The impact we aim to create

Stronger collaboration among cities

Faster adoption of successful initiatives

Reduced duplication of effort

Enhanced institutional capability

Impact in practice

How we make a difference on the ground

Concrete ways the Society supports city leaders in their day-to-day decisions.

Help sharpen the city's narrative

Support cities in articulating a defining story of their own — heritage, quality of life, a distinctive strength — so plans and investments read as one shared purpose.

Bring citizen-experience data into the conversation

Share how residents actually perceive safety, mobility, and services, so decisions can be informed by lived experience alongside project metrics.

Encourage transparency about wins and setbacks

Advocate for open reporting — including what didn't work — because credibility and faster learning across the ecosystem come from honesty, not selective communication.

Highlight the human capital dimension

Draw attention to digital literacy, vocational training, and university-industry links, so investment in people is considered alongside investment in technology.

Advise on inclusive service design

Support cities in thinking through how new services reach women, youth, older residents, and other underserved groups from the outset.

Champion citizen participation

Guide cities on ways to give residents a voice in shaping services, so responsiveness becomes visible and trust in reform grows.

Advocate for ecosystem-level thinking on investment

Help cities weigh the value of shared platforms, data, and open standards over isolated projects — so budgets stretch further across the Kingdom.

Support heritage-conscious modernisation

Share perspectives on treating culture and identity as competitive assets, so cities can modernise while keeping what makes them distinctive.

Founding roadmap

A phased path to a lasting cooperative

PHASE 1

Establish the Society

Launch the cooperative, onboard founding members, and hold our first meetings to set the foundation in motion.

PHASE 2

Expand Across the Kingdom

Grow membership, connect with the right stakeholders nationwide, and publish our first annual report.

PHASE 3

Global Recognition

Elevate our members onto the world stage — securing international awards, rankings, and recognition for Saudi smart cities.

Express your interest

Tell us you're interested

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